Executive Order 298: New Rates of Travel Allowances of Govt Officials Traveling Abroad

Executive Order No. 298
March 23, 2004

AMENDING FURTHER EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 248 DATED MAY 29, 1995 AS AMENDED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 248-A DATED AUGUST 14, 1995, WHICH PRESCRIBES RULES AND REGULATIONS AND NEW RATES OF ALLOWANCES FOR OFFICIAL LOCAL AND FOREIGN TRAVELS OF GOVERNMENT PESONNEL

WHEREAS, the existing rules and regulations and the allowable travel expenses for local and foreign travels of government personnel must be rationalized to make the grant thereof fair and equitable;

WHEREAS, in view of the increasing cost of goods and services, there is a need to review the rules and regulations and travel expenses for local and foreign travels;

WHEREAS, under Section 79 of Presidential Decree No. 1177, dated July 30, 1977, as amended by Section 72, Book VI of Executive Order No. 292 or the (Administrative Code of 1987), the rates of travel allowances may be changed from time to time as may be determined by the Travel Rates Committee created therein;

WHEREAS, the Travel Rates Committee has submitted to the President recommendations to modify the existing rules and regulations and the authorized travel expenses for local and foreign travels;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SEC.3. The first (1st) paragraph of Section 5 of EO No. 248 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 5. Approval of Travel and Payment of Travel Expenses. Travels of officials and employees of National Government Agencies for less than thirty (30) days and payment of travel expenses therefore shall be approved by the head of office/bureau or equivalent. Travels that will last thirty (30) days or more and payment of travel expenses therefore shall be approved by the Department Secretary or his equivalent. The approval of the Department Secretary concerned shall be construed as equivalent to the approval of the Secretary of Budget and Management.

SEC.4. The first (1st), second (2nd), and third (3rd) paragraph of Section 6 of the said EO are hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 6. Allowable Travel Expenses. The travel expenses of government personnel regardless of rank and destination shall be in the amount of Eight Hundred Pesos (P800.00) per day which shall be apportioned as follows: a) fifty percent (50%) for hotel/lodging, b) thirty percent (30%) for meals and c) twenty percent (20%) for incidental expenses.

Claims for reimbursement of actual travel expenses in excess of the travel expenses authorized herein may be allowed upon certification the head of agency concerned as absolutely necessary in the performance of an assignment and presentation of bills and receipts. Provided, that, certification or affidavit of loss shall not be considered as appropriate replacement for the required hotel/lodging bills and receipts.

Entitlement to travel expenses shall start only upon arrival at the place of destination and shall cease upon departure therefrom at the following percentage:

SEC. 5. The seventh (7th) paragraph of Section 6 of the said EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Claims for payment of travel expenses travel/assignment to places within the fifty (5) kilometer radius from the last city or municipality covered by the Metropolitan Manila Area in the case of those whose permanent official station is in the Metropolitan Manila Area, or the City or municipality wherein their permanent official station is located in the case of those outside the Metropolitan Manila Area, shall be allowed only upon presentation of proof, duly supported by bills or invoices with official receipts of expenses incurred, that they stayed in the place of their assignment for the whole duration of their official travel. If they commute daily from the place of their assignment to the place of their residence or permanent official station, they shall be allowed only the reimbursement of actual fare at the prevailing rates of the authorized mode of transportation from the permanent official station to the destination or place of wok and back, and a reasonable cost for meals. The total actual fare and cost of meals and incidental expenses shall in no case exceed Four Hundred Pesos (P400.00) per day."

SEC. 6. A second (2nd)paragraph is added to Section 9 of the EO to read as follows:

"Reimbursement of the payment of the airport terminal fee at the point of embarkation to go back to the Philippines upon completion of the official trip abroad is likewise authorized."

SEC. 7. Section 10 of the EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 10. Transportation – In case officials and employees authorized to travel are not provided with transportation by the host country or sponsoring organization or agency, they shall be allowed official transportation, which shall be of the restricted economy class unless otherwise authorized by the President of the Philippines.

SEC. 8. The first (1st) paragraph of Section 12 of the EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 12. Allowable Travel Expenses. Government personnel who travel abroad shall be entitled to the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) as provided under the United National Development Program (UNDP) Index, which can be secured from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The DSA shall be apportioned as follows unless otherwise stated in the UNDP Index: (a) fifty percent (50%) for hotel/lodging; (b) thirty percent (30%) for meals; and (c) twenty percent (20%) for incidental expenses. When the country of destination is not listed in the said Index, the DSA for the nearest country shall be adopted."

SEC. 9. The second (2nd) and third (3rd) paragraphs of Section 12 of the EO are hereby amended and merged to read as follows:

"Subject to the approval of the President, claims for reimbursement of actual travel expenses in excess of the DSA authorized herein may be allowed upon certification by the head of agency as absolutely necessary in the performance of an assignment and presentation of bills and receipts. Certification of affidavit of loss shall not be considered as appropriate replacement for the required hotel room/lodging bills and receipts."

SEC. 10. The fourth (4th) paragraph of Section 12 of the EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Entitlement to DS shall start only upon arrival at the country of destination and shall cease upon departure therefrom at the following percentage:

SEC. 11. The fifth (5th)paragraph of Section 12 of the EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"The Daily Subsistence Allowance authorized herein shall be deemed the equivalent of the per diems authorized under Section 75 of RA No. 7157, otherwise known as the Foreign Service Act of 1991."

SEC. 12. The last paragraph of Section 12 is hereby deleted.

SEC. 13. The second (2nd) paragraph of Section 14 of the EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Officials and employees who are either assigned from their Home Office to a post abroad or cross-posted from one post to another shall be entitled to the logging portion of the allowances herein granted during the month said personnel arrived at the post; Provided, That the claim which shall be supported by appropriated bills with receipts does not commence until their actual arrival at the post; Provided, Further, That pursuant to Section 65 of R.A. No. 7157, they shall not collect living quarters allowance until the first day of the month following their arrival at the post of assignment; Provided, Finally, That, the lodging portion of the allowances shall be granted on the basis of the classification of the post as stated under E.O. No. 101, series of 1993 in accordance with the 50% entitlement for hotel/lodging rate provided herein."

SEC.14. Section 16 of the EO is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 16. Rendition of Account on Cash Advances – Within sixty (60) days after his return to the Philippines, in the case o f official travel abroad, or within thirty (30) days of his return to his permanent official station in the case of official local travel, every official or employee shall render an account of the cash advance received by him in accordance with existing applicable rules and regulations and/or such rules and regulations as may be promulgated by the Commission on Audit for the purpose. Refund of excess cash advance may be made either in U.S. dollars if allowed by the Department concerned or in Philippine currency computed at the prevailing bank rate at the day of refund. In the case of the latter, a bank certification or newspaper clipping on the bank rate should be submitted. Payment of the salary of any official or employee who fails to comply with the provisions of the Section shall be suspended until he complies therewith."

SEC. 15. Section 17 of the said EO is hereby deleted.

SEC. 16. The first (1st) paragraph of Section 18 of EO is amended to read as follows:

"Every official or employee assigned or authorized to travel under this Order shall, within thirty (30) days after his return to his permanent official station, submit a report with his recommendations, if any, on the conference or seminar attended, examination or investigation conducted, or mission undertaken, to the head of his office. In case of participation in an international conference or convention abroad in which the Philippines is represented by a delegation, a report of the delegation shall be submitted to the President of the Philippine through the department head concerned copy furnished the DFA not later than thirty (30) days after the closing of the conference or convention. Any member of the delegation may also submit a supplementary report."

SEC. 17. Repeal. All executive issuances, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified.

SEC. 18. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 23rd day of March, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Four.